Improved machine for polishing heels of boots and shoes



B. Q. BUDDING. MACHINE FOR POLISHING HEELS 0F BOOTS AND SHOES.

No. 42,555. Patented May 3, 1864.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcE,

BENJAMIN Q. BUDDING, OFYMILFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVED MACHINE FOR POLISHING HEELS 0F B OOTS AND SHOES.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be. it known that I, BENJAMINQ. BUDDING, of Milford, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Machine for Polishing the Heels of Boots and Shoes 5 and. I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification, is adescription of my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it. v, I

The nature of my invention consists in so constructingand arran gin gthe operative parts of amachine for polishing the heels of boots and shoes that I am enabled by hand manipulation to turn the heel about in all directions while it is held againsta' vibrating polisher, whereby a much better finish or polished sur face is imparted to the curved surface of the heel than can be given by hand or by a machine so made as to vibratea polishing toolor tools over the surface of the heel against which they are held, while the shoe is jacked or fastened upon a stationary rest. I

In the ordinary use of a polishing or rubbing stick or tool by hand the tool is rubbed to and fro over the surface of the heel 'to be polished, and the position of the tool with re spect to such surface continually changed by the operator as one part or another may require more or less rubbing.

The pressure required to so harden or solidifyand polish the .surface is Very great, requiring much'outlay of strength, the operation being a tedious and laborious one; yet the skill of intelligent direction and manipulation of the tool by the operator has been found to answer the requirements of th'iswork much better than when the operation is performed entirely by an automatic mechanism, because there are always parts of the surface to be polished requiring a greater rubbing than others, while. such parts vary in position and are dependent very much upon the varying qualities of the stock used in the construction of the heel.

My present machine differs from the heelpolishing machine on which patent-numbered 39,546 was granted to me, as .in that machine there existed no means for turning the heel or shoe by hand, the shoe being held rigidly upon a fixed support during the automatic operation of the polishe'rs. I have found,however, from experiments with these machines and with the machine herein described, that for the purpose of polishing heels to the best advantage it is necessary not only to hold the work up against the vibrating polishcr and with a spring or yielding pressure between the polisher and the heel, but to combine therewith a means for easy and rapid turning of the work or heel around to the action of the polishing-tool, so that theextentlof action? of the tool over different parts of the surface to be polished may be varied as circumstances may require, as above described, and my machine, embodying these features, is shown in the top view or plan in Figurevl of 'the accompanying drawings, in side elevation in Fig. 2, and in front elevation in Fig. 3.

a-denotes the table upon which the machine is placed 5 b btwo standards rising therefrom and uniting at top, so as to make or support ajohrnal or bearing for a horizontal rockershaft, '0. On the rear end of this shaft is placed a collar or Wrist, d, from the upper surface of whicha leaf-spring, 0, extends horizontally-over the shaft 0, the spring carrying= at its opposite end-the polisher or polishing iron or tool f, whose position is just in front of and above and in a vertical plane with the shaft 0, and immediately over the heel to be polished, as seen in Fig. 2. From the crankpin of a wheel, 9, fixed on a driving-shaft, Ir, aconnecting rod orlink, 1', extends, the upper end of the rod being jointed to a crank or arm, Jr, projecting from the shaft c. Rotation'of the shaft-h imparts a rocking motion to the shaft 0, and thereby communicates to the spring 6 and its polisher f a rotary and vibrating movement, as will be readily understood. Parallel to the shaft 0, and at a little distance from the same, is placed in bearings m an- .other shaft, n, on the front end of which is fixed'an arm, 0, which projects toward the shaft 0, as seen in Fig. 3. A rotating pin, p, projects from and turns freely in the end of this arm, and carries in its outer end asc'rewpin, g, from which bangs, and so as to freely swing or turn therein, a jack or plate, 1', to which the shoe is to be fastened. The plate hangs directly under or so as to bring the heel of the shoe directly under the poiisherf, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3. While the rotation of pin 11 permits the plate r to be freely turned thereupon, the screw-pin (1 allows of its rocinctly, is as follo ws ,tlriVing-shait h, the

tation in a plane perpendicular thereto, the two devices forminga universal joint and allowing of movement of the entire surface of the heel into contact with the surface of the vibrating polisher, and at all angles of inclination with respect thereto necessary to rub the leather in contrary directions, so as to rapidly and easily solidify and burnish the surface thereof; An arm, s, extends down from the rear end of the shaft a, and to this arm is fastened a cord, t, which, passing through the table on one side of the arm, has a weighttied upon it, the weight actuating the arm a, shaft 12, and arm 0, and holding the heel rip-againstv or into contact with the sur- ;faceof the polishing-tool. Pressure of the foot upon a treadle lever, to which the cord t mightbe attachcd,-or a spring or a mechanism for locking the arm 8 in position, may be employed instead of the means described for holding the heel against the polisher; but I generally prefer the use of the weightforthis purpose.

The operation of the machine may be understood from the above description, or, suc- Motion being given to the I, tool f is vibrated rapidly liver the surface of thc heel, which isheld up *against it by the weight, while the operator, through the means of the freely suspended and rotary plate 1', turns the heelin all do The spring e to yield to any inequality 1 iirable directions, as specified. allows the polisher of surface upon the heel, and the surface of the polisher has such a convexity as will permit of its extending into and rubbing into shape the concave surface of the heel.

I construct the polisher hollow, (as seen in Fig. 4, which denotes a cross-section of it,) and provide it with a slide, Z. In this hollow I place a heating-iron, u, so that when desirable the surface of the polisher may be heated thereby, the iron being taken out and replaced, as occasion may require, by removing the slide l.

The plate or jackris '(ler, 1 against which the inner provided with a shoulside of the heel rests, and with a strap, uywhich passes around the back of the shoe, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3. The opposite ends of the strap are fastened to pins as, projecting from armsy, which extend from cogged sectors or ratchetwheels 2, rotating on pins a, as will be understood from Fig. 5, which rcpresents a rear view of the plate. One of the arms, y, has a handle, 0 and a pawl, 0 is hung upon Lhe back of the plate. To fasten the to the plate, the inncrside of the heel is placed upon the shoulder c, (which may be provided with teeth or pins to penetrate the heel,) with the sole of the shoe resting upon the outer surface of the plate. The strap then being carried around or slipped over the back of the shoe, (which is, of course, upon a last-,) the handle I) is depressed, which depresses its pin 00, and one coggcd sector or ratchet, mesh- I ing into, turns the other, which depresses simultaneously the other arm, y, and pin, a, and draws the strap tightly upon the shoe, or the heel upon the shoulder a, when the pawl is slipped into the ratchet and holds it fast.-

lnste'ad of the two ratchets or sectors, only one may be used, the opposite; pin 90 being made stationary; but as that would have a tendency to twist the heel in drawing the strap down to fasten the shoe upon the plate, 1 generally prefer to use them both, as set forth.

I claim- 1. In combination with a polishing tool which hasa vibratory movement imparted'to it, a mechanism which allows the shoe to be freely turned by hand sary tov bring all parts of the heel to be operated upon into contact with the polishingtool.

2. The construction of the plate 1', with the shoulder 12, ratchet or ratchets z, pawl 0 and strap to, or their equivalents, substantially as set forth.

B. Q. BUDDING.

Witnesses:

TnoMAs-G. NEWGENT, AMARIAH A. TAFT.

shoe firmly in every direction neces- 

